Since September 2008, anyone wanting to become a German citizen is required to pass an "Einbürgerungstest." It consists of 33 multiple choice questions chosen at random from an item bank of 310 potential questions (300 apply to Germany as a whole, 10 are particular to the "Land" in which the person is taking the test).

More info:

• The test, which includes many questions most Germans would have difficulty with, was debated and criticized since its conception. Some critics argue that some of the items are not entirely accurate.
• One needs to answer 17 questions correctly in order to pass.
• There is a fee of €25 Euro for taking the test, which can be retaken an unlimited number of times.
• Those wishing to study for the test can purchase books listing all the possible questions and explaining the correct answers.

Look at this test as follows:

1. To begin with, click here (or here if there is a problem with the .gov link) to take a look at a few sample questions from the test administered for potential immigrants to the United States.

2. Now click here to take a 33-item version of the test, based on a sample test provided by the Bundesministerium des Innern. The following resources may help you in taking this test:

• This brief vocabulary list.
• The links to the PONS, LEO, and dict.cc online dictionaries in the navigation bar to the left of this page.
• wikipedia.de
• Some additional resources:
  • Here is a link to the complete catalog of test questions, including state-specific questions (select the state from the menu on the start page), also provided by the Bundesministerium des Innern. After clicking on an answer, you will see "Richtige Antwort" appear in green next to the correct answer for that item.
  • Here is a link to a pdf published by the Bundesministerium des Innern with all 300 "country-wide" questions (but no answers)
  • [You can click here to see the original version of the above 33-item test on the website of the Bundesministerium des Innern. This version will provide detailed feedback on the correct answers after you submit your responses.]
  • You can click here to take a sample 33-item test on the website of the German news magazine FOCUS, and click here to find sample state-specific tests on the FOCUS site, as well as these 11 sarcastic alternative Einbürgerungstest questions created by the humorist Harald Schmidt.
  • Here is a link to sample questions from a somewhat similar test proposed a couple of years earlier by the state of Hessen.
  • Here is a link to a website selling practice software for the Austrian Staatsbürgerschaftstest, which also offers a short, free sample test consisting of 11 questions. Based on this sample, the Austrian test seems quite a bit harder than the German one, though perhaps they intentionally chose more difficult sample questions in order to sell their software.

Was ist Deutsch?

Click here to see a poster created by the Auslanderbeauftragte des Senats in Berlin, proposing a very wide range of possible associations with the question "Was ist Deutsch?" Decide with a partner on a few terms that intrigue you and try to find out what they mean, by searching on Google or wikipedia.de.

• Please note that the creators of the poster are probably the only people who know what all of these terms refer to ==> your instructor will also not know them all!